A little help
keeping things.

Getting started

Kept is being prepared for Mac and iPad with macOS 27 and iPadOS 27 or later. The app has not launched yet.

On Mac, leave Kept running to capture eligible copies. Choose an item in history to copy it, switch to your destination app and press Command–V.

On iPad, allow clipboard access when prompted. Kept can save the current clipboard when it becomes active. Settings → Capture contains the capture controls and permission guidance.

Why didn’t my iPad save every copy?

iPadOS doesn’t let Kept continuously read the clipboard in the background. If you copy three things while Kept is suspended, only the latest may remain when you return. Kept cannot recover copies that have already been overwritten.

Keep Kept active beside another app when iPadOS permits, or create a Shortcut using Get Clipboard followed by Save to Kept. The Shortcut saves when you trigger it; it does not listen for every copy. Input formats can be converted by Shortcuts before Kept receives them.

If automatic access fails, use the system Paste button in Kept. Where iPadOS offers Paste from Other Apps in Kept’s system settings, Allow can reduce repeated prompts.

How does iCloud sync work?

Enable sync on the devices you want to connect and use the same Apple Account. Eligible items and shared preferences sync through your private iCloud database. Each device keeps its own sync switch.

Sensitive and explicitly local-only items stay on their capturing device by default. Copies larger than 16 MB also stay local without downscaling. iCloud delivery can be delayed, especially while an iPad is suspended.

Turning sync off keeps local history. When Kept detects a confirmed iCloud sign-out or account change, it removes the linked local history on that device. It does not turn off sync on your other device.

What does Advanced Data Protection add?

Apple’s Advanced Data Protection adds end-to-end encryption for the CloudKit assets and encrypted fields Kept uses for synced clipboard content. It does not cover every piece of service metadata.

On Mac: System Settings → your name → iCloud → Advanced Data Protection. On iPad: Settings → your name → iCloud → Advanced Data Protection.

Apple requires a recovery method. Follow Apple’s setup and recovery guidance and keep that recovery method available. This is an Apple Account setting; Kept cannot switch it on or verify its status. You can use Kept locally without ADP.

Will a purge remove pinned items?

No. Automatic expiry and every purge or bulk-cleanup action preserve pinned items, including sensitive pins. There is no confirmation that overrides this protection. You can deliberately delete an individual pinned item.

Regular history defaults to seven days since last use; sensitive history defaults to 24 hours. Reusing or dragging an item refreshes retention without moving its original capture position. Clipboard-clearing rules are separate from saved-history expiry.

Can I export my history?

Open Settings → History → Export History. Review the disclosure, then choose where to save the file. It contains the history currently saved on that device, original formats and saved preferences, including sensitive, local-only and pinned items.

The JSON file is unencrypted. Anyone with access to it can read it. Saving to an online location uploads those items there. Kept cannot remove exported files through expiry, purge or sign-out controls.

Export does not fetch missing iCloud items and is not currently an import or encrypted-backup feature. Keep enough space for the file: binary data becomes larger when represented in JSON.

Can I copy something on my iPhone?

Apple’s Universal Clipboard can make the current text or image copy available to Kept on your nearby Mac or iPad. Devices need the same Apple Account, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and Handoff. Kept’s normal capture and permission limits still apply.

Kept has no native iPhone app, and this does not provide a complete iPhone clipboard history. See Apple’s Universal Clipboard instructions.

What gets marked sensitive?

Kept recognizes some keys and card numbers, masks their previews and keeps them local by default. Detection cannot catch every secret. Reveal lasts until you change the selection.

Items marked private are skipped. On Mac, detected secure input and ignored-app settings also prevent capture. iPad cannot identify another app’s secure-input state or clipboard source.